This story was originally published by Healthbeat. Sign up for their public health newsletters at healthbeat.org/newsletters It’s been over a month since the FDA approved new COVID vaccines, but for uninsured and underinsured Atlantans who rely on the public health system to get the shots at low cost, the process is fraught with conflicting information […]
DeKalb County
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Voting
Advocates Are Working to Ensure Homeless Georgians Can Vote in November
James McWhorter was surprised in October when he received a letter in the mail informing him a DeKalb County resident had challenged his eligibility to vote because his listed address didn’t match the driver’s license he used to register back in 2008. The 55-year-old barber and Army veteran, who lives in Stone Mountain, explained at […]
Posted inEducation, School Boards
APS Board Runoff Election Is Happening Dec. 5. Here’s What You Need to Know.
This story was published as part of our #APSVotes project with Atlanta Civic Circle to help shed light on APS school board elections. Read our school board election voting guide here. Atlanta voters will return to the polls for a Dec. 5 runoff election to decide who will fill the final seat on the city’s […]
Posted inCop City, Criminal Justice
Environmental Impact Targeted in New Push Against ‘Cop City’
Opponents of the developing Atlanta Public Safety Training Center have adopted a new strategy to stop the so-called “Cop City” from being built. Activists filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of External Civil Rights Compliance last week, arguing that the 85-acre site in unincorporated southern DeKalb County is damaging the ecosystem in […]
Posted inCop City
Organizers Make Final Push on ‘Cop City’ Referendum
Mary Hooks was the first person to sign the petition for a ballot referendum on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed “Cop City.” More than six weeks later, she now spends her days canvassing the streets of Atlanta collecting signatures from registered voters to get the issue on the ballot. The Cop City Vote […]
Posted inCop City
Mayor’s Task Force Proposes Community-Centric Changes for Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’
A task force assembled by Mayor Andre Dickens has announced its recommendations to make the controversial public safety training center known as “Cop City” more “community-oriented.” The group proposes involving community members in developing anti-bias courses and other police training curriculum that acknowledge the “difficult history” of policing in Atlanta. “[The task force subgroups] all […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Atlanta’s ‘Broken Promises’: $67M for Cop City, Violence Prevention Left Behind
This story was published in partnership with The Trace. In December 2021, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms sent a news release announcing the formation of the city’s first-ever Office of Violence Reduction. The office was to be charged with coordinating efforts between community-led violence intervention programs and dispersing some $5 million in grants to organizations […]
Posted inPublic Services
Need Plumbing Repairs? DeKalb County Has the Solution for You.
Live in DeKalb County? Need some help with your plumbing or mounting water bill debt? The DeKalb Cares Water Repair Program may be the solution for you. On Aug. 1, 2022, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners announced that residents across the county would see a 6% increase in water and sewer bills to fund […]
Posted inBlack Businesses
What Business Owners Want to See in South Dekalb’s Future
This story was originally published by Canapy Atlanta, a community-powered journalism nonprofit. DeKalb exists as two counties in one. North DeKalb flourishes with the ongoing development of high-end restaurants, shopping centers, coffee shops, and theaters. South DeKalb, on the other hand, has experienced stagnant growth for decades. The area’s majority Black population have few options for necessities, quality […]
Posted inCity Politics
It’s Not Just the City of Atlanta. Black Residents in DeKalb Have Water Issues, Too
Earlier this week, Janis Gardner sat outside the DeKalb County government office in downtown Decatur looking for answers. It was early in the morning, but she waited, alongside a dozen others, for the 10 a.m. Board of Commissioners meeting. Next to her were fellow members of the DeKalb Water Watch, a community group created with […]